Courts/Rulings & Lawsuits | | |
Appeals court ends California A.G.’s prosecution of top Gascón advisor
In a stinging rebuke of one of California Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta’s most politically fraught prosecutions, a state appeals court moved Thursday to dismiss the remaining criminal charges against a top advisor to ex-Los Angeles County Dist. Atty. George Gascón. Diana Teran was charged last year with 11 counts of improperly downloading confidential police discipline records when she was a constitutional policing advisor at the L.A. County Sheriff's Department, and then "impermissibly" using the data while working for Gascón.
Los Angeles Times
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Unanimous panel of the Ninth Circuit strikes down California’s ‘1-in-30’ gun rationing law
In a stinging rebuke of one of California Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta’s most politically fraught prosecutions, a state appeals court moved Thursday to dismiss the remaining criminal charges against a top advisor to ex-Los Angeles County Dist. Atty. George Gascón. Diana Teran was charged last year with 11 counts of improperly downloading confidential police discipline records when she was a constitutional policing advisor at the L.A. County Sheriff's Department, and then "impermissibly" using the data while working for Gascón.
California Globe
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Ninth Circuit takes up challenge against California restrictions on open carry of firearms
The Ninth Circuit on Tuesday took up the question of whether California can prohibit most of the state's residents from openly carrying firearms for self-defense in the wake of a landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision. A three-judge panel of the federal appeals court, at a hearing in Seattle, grappled with whether the Second Amendment right to carry arms is satisfied if a California resident can carry a concealed gun even if they aren't allowed to carry one in open view.
Courthouse News Service
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ICE arrests at L.A. courthouse met with alarm: 'Absolutely blindsided’
Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents arrested two women Tuesday outside a Los Angeles courthouse after a hearing in a local criminal case, marking the first instance in recent weeks of the Trump administration using a tactic that has drawn condemnation from the legal community. Adriana Bernal, 37, was detained after appearing in the Airport Courthouse on La Cienega Boulevard late Tuesday morning, said Jennifer Cheng, public information officer for the L.A. County alternate public defender's office.
Los Angeles Times
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Ninth Circuit scrutinizes federal use of California anti-SLAPP in fake reviews case
On Tuesday, a Ninth Circuit en banc panel heard arguments on why California’s anti-SLAPP statute applies in federal court in a case stemming from disputes over parking spaces at a San Diego pizzeria that spiraled into cross claims of defamation, fake negative reviews, racial discrimination and First Amendment rights violations.
Courthouse News Service
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Existence of homeless encampment near beach is not ‘dangerous condition’ of public property
Div. Five of this district’s Court of Appeal has found that a complaint filed against the County, by a father who was attacked by a homeless man wielding a machete at a Malibu beach, was properly dismissed because the pleading failed to allege facts showing that the existence of an encampment near a path to the public restroom was a “dangerous condition” as required to impose liability on a locality.
Metropolitan News-Enterprise
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Federal judge finds LA failed to create enough shelter for unhoused people as required in agreement
A federal judge issued a blistering ruling Tuesday, finding Los Angeles officials failed in multiple ways to follow a settlement agreement to create more shelter for unhoused people. Judge David O. Carter also ordered stronger oversight by a court-appointed monitor to “ask the hard questions on behalf of Angelenos,” as well as quarterly hearings to oversee compliance with the city’s commitments to create nearly 13,000 new shelter and housing beds.
LAist
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L.A. city leaders look to file lawsuit over 'unconstitutional' immigration enforcement
Faced with a wave of immigration arrests, the Los Angeles City Council is looking to sue the Trump administration to secure a court order prohibiting federal agents from carrying out any unconstitutional stops or arrests of city residents. Seven council members signed a proposal asking City Atty. Hydee Feldstein Soto to prioritize "immediate legal action" to protect the civil rights of Angelenos, arguing that such a step is needed to keep their constituents from being racially profiled or unlawfully detained.
Los Angeles Times
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Judge asks if troops in Los Angeles are violating the Posse Comitatus Act
California’s challenge of the Trump administration’s military deployment in Los Angeles returned to a federal courtroom in San Francisco on Friday for a brief hearing after an appeals court handed President Donald Trump a key procedural win. U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer put off issuing any additional rulings and instead asked for briefings from both sides by noon Monday on whether the Posse Comitatus Act, which prohibits troops from conducting civilian law enforcement on U.S. soil, is being violated in Los Angeles.
Associated Press
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Wife’s abusive verbal conduct toward woman husband had affair with not protected
The Court of Appeal for this district has rejected the contention of a wife that she had a First Amendment prerogative to express her indignation to a younger woman with whom, she had learned, her husband had engaged in an affair three years earlier and that, even if her language was crude, a civil harassment restraining order was improperly imposed on her. Justice Helen I. Bendix of Div. One authored the unpublished opinion, filed Tuesday, affirming a July 3, 2024 order by Los Angeles Superior Court Commissioner Valerie Skeba against Liliana Romo, then 46.
Metropolitan News-Enterprise
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Supreme Court limits factors for revoking supervised release
The US Supreme Court limited what factors judges can consider when deciding whether to revoke a sentence of supervised release. In a 7-2 decision on Friday, the court’s majority said the statute governing supervised release prevents judges from weighing the need for the sentence to reflect the seriousness of the offense, promote respect for the law, and provide a just punishment.
Bloomberg Law
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Death sentence is not subject to reduction at resentencing
Div. Seven of this district’s Court of Appeal held yesterday that a defendant, who was sentenced to death for the 2001 slaying of a Los Angeles-area college student and to additional time based on allegations of prior periods of incarceration, may immediately seek resentencing under recent amendments to the Penal Code that retroactively invalidate most prior prison term enhancements without waiting for resolution of his automatic appeal.
Metropolitan News-Enterprise
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Who is Cudahy vice mayor who appears to call on notorious gangs to intervene ICE raids?
After a video that appears to show Cudahy’s Vice Mayor Cynthia Gonzalez calling on gangs to intervene immigration raids circulated online, city officials including the vice mayor herself stayed mum Wednesday amid mounting criticism. NBC Los Angeles tried to contact Vice Mayor Gonzalez as well as Mayor Elizabeth Alcantar Loza but did not hear back. Gonzalez was elected to the Cudahy city council in 2022 as she maintains a full-time job as an administrator with the Los Angeles Unified School District.
NBC4
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LAPD chief defends officers’ response to weeks of protests
Los Angeles police Chief Jim McDonnell Monday defended his agency's handling of the recent immigration-enforcement protests, which sparked some allegations of excessive force and indiscriminate use of non- lethal weaponry and tear gas, with the chief saying suggestions the response was undisciplined or lacked oversight are "simply not accurate.” In a lengthy written statement, McDonnell said he felt compelled to respond to recent allegations - some raised in a weekend report by the Los Angeles Times - questioning the LAPD's tactics in dealing with protesters over the past two weeks.
City News Service
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How the LAPD's protest response once again triggered outrage, injuries and lawsuits
Bridgette Covelli arrived near Los Angeles City Hall for the June 14 "No Kings Day" festivities to find what she described as a peaceful scene: people chanting, dancing, holding signs. No one was arguing with the police, as far as she could tell. Enforcement of the city's curfew wouldn't begin for hours. But seemingly out of nowhere, Covelli said, officers began to fire rubber bullets and launch smoke bombs into a nearby crowd, which had gathered to protest the Trump administration's aggressive immigration enforcement campaign.
Los Angeles Times
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Texas man charged federally for receipt and transport of explosives intended for use against law enforcement
A Texas man is facing federal charges after allegedly purchasing powerful explosives in New Mexico and expressing plans to use them to harm law enforcement officers and government officials during riots in California. According to court documents, on June 12, 2025, Grzegorz Vandenberg, 48, visited a travel center in Lordsburg, New Mexico, to purchase fireworks. During the transaction, Vandenberg requested assistance in selecting fireworks that could be thrown directly at people to cause harm.
Office of Public Affairs News Release
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Federal agents thought they could stay at LA-area hotels. Communities are trying to make sure they can’t
It started as an “ICE sighting” on the morning of June 8. Someone had sent in a photo of federal immigration vehicles parked at the AC Hotel in Pasadena that circulated in rapid response group chats and on social media. The community members, including day labor and faith-based organizers who first rushed to the hotel, found most of the workers had left out of fear. And those who remained were “pretty upset” that federal agents were asking people about their immigration status “in an aggressive way,” said Jose Madera, the director of the Pasadena Community Job Center, a day laborer center.
Los Angeles Public Press
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LA group sues DHS
Demonstrators and journalists are suing the Department of Homeland Security, alleging federal agents used excessive and unnecessary force against them at protests against the immigration enforcement sweeps in Los Angeles. Who filed the lawsuit: The Los Angeles Press Club, individual protesters and others filed a lawsuit in federal court Wednesday, claiming federal immigration agents' use of force at demonstrations "punishes and suppresses the exercise of First Amendment-protected rights."
LAist
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Local police say misinformation about immigration enforcement operations puts officers at risk
Confusion over immigration enforcement operations is leading to protests, public panic, and dangerous encounters, as local police departments warn that misinformation is putting both officers and residents at risk. This week, protesters gathered outside a Rancho Cucamonga hotel following rumors of ICE agents staying there, prompting deputies from the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department to respond to the scene.
ABC7
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LA tow truck drivers are not towing ICE vehicles, that claim originated as satire
Are Los Angeles tow truck drivers targeting illegally parked U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement vehicles as a form of protest? PolitiFact is pumping the brakes on that claim. It originated from a satire account. "BREAKING: A growing group of tow truck drivers in LA are reportedly stalking ICE convoys so they can tow away all the unmarked ICE vans and SUVs that get parked incorrectly the moment the agents get out to start looking for people to abduct and deport," The Halfway Post posted June 20 on X, garnering around 2.2 million views.
PolitiFact
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U.S. attorney’s office filed 83 border-related cases this week
Federal prosecutors in the Southern District of California filed 83 border-related cases this week, including charges of bringing in aliens for financial gain, reentering the U.S. after deportation, and importation of controlled substances. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California is the fourth-busiest federal district, largely due to a high volume of border-related crimes. This district, encompassing San Diego and Imperial counties, shares a 140-mile border with Mexico.
U.S. Attorney’s Office Press Release
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California dog trainer charged with animal cruelty, evidence destruction in deaths of 11 dogs
Eleven dogs died while in the care of a California dog trainer and prosecutors say he and his girlfriend tried to destroy the evidence by dropping off the dogs' bodies at different crematoriums. Kwong (Tony) Chun Sit, of Irvine, pleaded not guilty Monday in Orange County Superior Court to 11 counts of animal cruelty, 11 counts of animal abuse by a caretaker, seven counts of attempting to destroy evidence and one count of destruction of evidence, according to the Orange County District Attorney's Office.
Associated Press
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California man charged with attempting to provide material support to ISIS
Ammaad Akhtar, 33, of Stockton, was arrested today and charged with attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization. According to court documents, since February 2025, Akhtar has been communicating online with a law enforcement-controlled individual, whom Akhtar believed was a member of ISIS. In these conversations, Akhtar voiced his support for ISIS and jihad, expressed a desire to travel overseas to join and fight with ISIS, and stated a desire to send guns and money to ISIS.
Office of Public Affairs Press Release
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Man charged with attempted murder of Santa Monica officer and 2 teens in separate shootings
A Los Angeles man has been charged with attempted murder in connection with two separate shootings in Santa Monica last week, including an attack on a police officer and an earlier shooting that injured two teenage boys in a rideshare vehicle, prosecutors announced Friday. David John Hairston faces a total of seven felony counts, including three counts of attempted murder and multiple firearm-related charges, after what authorities described as two unprovoked acts of violence on June 22 and June 25.
KTLA5
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Gavin Newsom sues Fox News for $787M in defamation case over Trump call
Gavin Newsom is taking a page right out of Donald Trump’s media playbook. The California governor accused Fox News of defamation in a lawsuit Friday morning, alleging the network should fork over $787 million after host Jesse Watters claimed Newsom lied about his phone calls with Trump, who ordered National Guard troops to Los Angeles this month. Newsom’s lawyers argue Watters’ program misleadingly edited a video of Trump to support the claim.
Politico
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Justice Department files Statement of Interest in support of City of Huntington Beach lawsuit against unconstitutional California immigration law
Today, the Department of Justice filed a Statement of Interest in support of the City of Huntington Beach which wishes to cooperate with federal immigration authorities but is prevented from doing so by an unconstitutional California law. On January 7, 2025, the City of Huntington Beach, Huntington Beach City Council, Police Chief, and Sherrif, sued the State of California, Governor Gavin Newsom, and California Attorney General Robert Bonta over the unconstitutional “California Values Act” (CVA).
Office of Public Affairs Press Release
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LACo seeks dismissal from wrongful demotion case for Menendez prosectors
Los Angeles County is seeking dismissal of two defamation claims that are part of a pair of lawsuits filed by two prosecutors who allege they were wrongfully demoted for their support of a resentencing of the Mendendez brothers while George Gascon was district attorney. The Los Angeles Superior Court lawsuits were filed April 7 by Deputy District Attorneys Nancy Theberge and Brock Lunsford.
MyNewsLA
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Feds sue California county registrar over noncitizen voter records
The U.S. Justice Department on Wednesday sued the Orange County, California, registrar of voters for not providing it with records of noncitizens that were removed from its voter list. The Justice Department accuses Robert Page of refusing to provide transparency of the county's voter information, in violation of federal voting laws, and of concealing the unlawful registration of ineligible, noncitizen voters.
Courthouse News Service
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Los Angeles ‘mansion tax’ update regarding Office of Finance assessments
Taxpayer disputes involving Los Angeles’s Measure ULA, the Homelessness and Housing Solutions Tax - commonly referred to as the “mansion tax” - are progressing through the city’s administrative review process. Property owners facing assessments under the tax should be aware of the procedural steps for challenging those assessments, as well as recent legal developments that may affect how the tax is interpreted and enforced.
Morgan Lewis
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National Guard troops deployed to L.A. were sent to Riverside County marijuana farm raid
National Guard troops that were mobilized to help respond to immigration protests in Los Angeles were then sent more than 100 miles away to protect federal agents enforcing immigration laws on marijuana farms in the Coachella Valley, according to court documents filed by the Trump administration Monday. About 315 National Guard troops assisted the Drug Enforcement Administration in executing a federal search warrant June 18 on suspected illegal marijuana farms in Thermal, a desert community about 25 miles southeast of Palm Springs, according to a DEA spokesperson.
Los Angeles Times
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2 killed in 405 Freeway crash, including LAPD sergeant who stopped to help driver
A Los Angeles Police Department sergeant and a driver he stopped to help after a crash on the 405 Freeway were killed Monday morning when they were hit by another vehicle in West Los Angeles. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass identified the sergeant as Shiou Deng, a 27-year Los Angeles Police Department veteran. LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell said Deng was "deeply respected" by his law enforcement colleagues and left a legacy of exemplary public service.
NBC4
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LASD issues apology over "offensive and inappropriate" social media post about Iran
The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department on Sunday deleted a post on X that it called "offensive and inappropriate" in regard to the conflict in Iran. An original version of the post said, "Our hearts go out to the victims and families impacted by the recent bombings in Iran. While this tragic event occurred overseas, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department is closely monitoring the situation alongside our local, state, and federal partners."
KCAL News
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City attorney refuses to sign contract for LA tenant aid
“Stay Housed LA” is a partnership between Los Angeles County and City governments with a variety of legal aid organizations and community-based groups, created to help L.A. residents avoid eviction. Launched in summer 2020 to avoid a surge in homelessness during the COVID-19 pandemic, it has since connected 27,000 tenants with legal services.The City’s contract with Stay Housed LA, set to expire June 30, was approved for a five-year, $34 million extension by the City Council in April and signed by Mayor Karen Bass on May 1.
Los Angeles Magazine
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Looming raises for L.A. County employees could cost $2 billion, CEO says
Los Angeles County’s looming agreement with its biggest labor union is expected to cost a little more than $2 billion over three years - the latest hit to a budget besieged by financial woes. The cost estimate, provided to The Times on Monday by the county chief executive office, will necessitate more belt-tightening for a government that’s running out of notches. The deadly January wildfires are expected to cost the county $2 billion
Los Angeles Times
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600+ layoffs possible as L.A. prepares to declare fiscal emergency
The City of Los Angeles is on the brink of declaring a fiscal emergency, with over 600 layoffs potentially looming. City Controller Kenneth Mejia announced late Monday night that massive liability payouts, overspending, and revenue shortfalls are the primary reasons for this financial crisis. Mejia shared on X, "In order to balance the budget, 614 layoffs are on the table." He added that the city will strive to transfer employees and fill vacant positions to mitigate the impact of these layoffs.
iHeartRadio
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Los Angeles collected $700 million from the ‘mansion tax’ to combat homelessness. Most of it is still in the bank
Two years after Los Angeles began collecting a tax on multimillion-dollar property sales, nearly all the money meant to combat the city’s worsening housing and homelessness crisis remains untouched - sitting idle in city accounts as homelessness worsens and construction stalls. Measure ULA - nicknamed the “mansion tax," even though it also applies to commercial and larger residential building sales - was approved by city voters in November 2022, and took effect in April 2023.
Westside Current
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Crowd attacks DCFS vehicle during murder arrest in LA, thinking it’s an immigration operation
A Department of Children and Family Services vehicle was vandalized by a crowd that mistakenly thought sheriff’s deputies were conducting an immigration raid in the South Los Angeles area, officials said Saturday. The encounter took place about 10:15 a.m. Monday as detectives with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department were serving a search and arrest warrant on the 900 block of East 49th Street near McKinley Avenue.
City News Service
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Handcuffed woman takes off in LAPD patrol vehicle, remains on the loose
Police are searching for a woman in handcuffs who they say stole a patrol vehicle while being detained in the Hollywood area late Monday night. The incident occurred shortly before midnight as police were conducting an investigation in the area of Franklin and Orchid avenues, a Los Angeles Police Department spokesperson confirmed to KTLA. It was unclear what prompted the investigation, but the spokesperson said that a woman who was placed in handcuffs drove off in the LAPD vehicle.
KTLA
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5 arrested for now-viral fight between group of people and Santa Ana officers
Five people were arrested in Santa Ana for allegedly assaulting police officers who were trying to arrest a man for drinking in public. A now-viral video of the incident is being reviewed as part of a use-of-force investigation. The incident happened just before 2 a.m. Sunday in the downtown area, the Santa Ana Police Department said. In the footage, two officers are seen taking a man into custody and holding him on the ground. A woman approaches them, touching one of the officers on the shoulder.
ABC7
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California found in violation of Title IX in clash with Trump officials over transgender athletes
The Trump administration has found that the California Department of Education and the state’s high school sports federation violated civil rights law by allowing transgender girls to compete on girls sports teams. The federal Education Department announced the finding Wednesday and proposed a resolution that would require California to bar transgender women from women’s sports and strip transgender athletes of records, titles and awards.
Associated Press
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Golden State lawmakers seek to restrict sale, transfer of digital data
Shadowy organizations surveil an unwitting populace, trading and selling their personal data to fuel the federal government’s immigration goals. California lawmakers on Tuesday said that scenario is no future dystopia - it's happening now. The exchange of people’s digital footprints - which can reveal their houses of worship, homes and whether they’ve attended protests - is the focus on Assembly Bill 322. Introduced by Assemblymember Chris Ward, the bill seeks to protect Californians’ privacy by restricting the collection, use and sale of such data.
Courthouse News Service
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Subscriptions, recycling and stolen online goods: New California laws take effect July 1
While a number of 2025 laws already went into effect at the beginning of the year, some will become effective on July 1. From updated subscription policies to selling stolen goods online, these are some of the notable new laws. Assembly bills will be titled "AB," and Senate bills will be titled "SB" before their specific number.
KCRA
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CA colleges pay millions every year for faulty plagiarism detection
To identify student work written by artificial intelligence tools such as ChatGPT, many California colleges and universities rely on Turnitin, a plagiarism detection service. But the company’s tools aren’t always accurate, and when it falsely flags work done by humans as AI-generated, students are caught in the crossfire. As CalMatters’ Tara García Mathewson explains, in 2025 California State University paid $163,000 to use Turnitin’s tool to identify AI-generated writing.
CalMatters
| | Convictions/Pleas/Sentences/Parole | | |
LA street gang ‘shot caller’ tied to Mexican Mafia sentenced to nearly 20 years in prison
The overall “shot caller” of a South Los Angeles street gang tied to the Mexican Mafia who oversaw drug trafficking, gave orders to the organization’s general leadership, and authorized the assault and murder of members in bad standing, was sentenced today to 19 years and seven months in federal prison. Eliseo Luna, 50, of South Los Angeles pleaded guilty in March to charges of racketeering conspiracy and conspiracy to distribute controlled substances.
City News Service
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Tommy Lee Wickerd resentenced to 25 years in prison based on exceptional conduct recommendation from the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation
A Los Angeles County Superior Court judge today resentenced Tommy Lee Wickerd to 25 years in prison, having previously granted a petition for resentencing based on an exceptional conduct recommendation from the Secretary of California's Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR), on Wickerd’s behalf. The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office initially opposed resentencing in April 2025, but reached an agreement with Wickerd’s attorney for a modified sentence after Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Michelle DeCasas granted his petition, paving the way for release.
L.A. County District Attorney’s Office News Release
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Monica Sementilli sentenced to life in prison for husband’s murder
Monica Sementilli was sentenced today to life in prison without the possibility of parole for orchestrating the 2017 murder of her husband, renowned hairdresser Fabio Sementilli. The sentencing took place in Department 101 of the Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center. “Monica Sementilli betrayed the person who loved and trusted her most,” District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman said.
L.A. County District Attorney’s Office News Release
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Court ruling to force former USC RB Reggie Bush to pay $1.4 million to Lloyd Lake
It has been a long sequence of events for Reggie Bush since his time at USC. For the Heisman Trophy winner, the latest chapter between him and Lloyd Lake will prove to be a costly one. As reported by LA Times reporter Ryan Kartje, Bush will be forced to pay $1.4 million to Lake from a lawsuit that started approximately two years ago. This is not, of course, the first time the two men saw something significant decided in court between them.
Reign of Troy
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'Unsettling and bizarre' YouTube prank leads to In-N-Out lawsuit
Southern California burger behemoth In-N-Out is stepping into the legal arena again, filing a lawsuit against a local YouTube prankster for impersonating an employee and making lewd comments to area customers. Bryan Arnett, a popular content creator with more than 600,000 followers across YouTube and Instagram, uploaded a prank video to his YouTube channel on April 25. In the video, Arnett impersonates an In-N-Out drive-thru employee at what appears to be a location in Glendale, talking with customers as they pull up in their vehicles to order food.
SF Gate
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In the face of protest, police must embrace their role as guardians for all Americans
In recent weeks, two powerful but contrasting voices in American law enforcement captured public attention for vastly different reasons. One was the calm, measured warning of retired Los Angeles Police Chief Michel Moore, who urged restraint in the face of civil unrest and reminded us that police officers, not soldiers, are best suited to serve American cities. The other was the disturbing public threat issued by a Florida sheriff, who declared that protestors who stepped out of line would be killed “graveyard dead.”
KNOX News
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